


When Thoughts Are Constellations

by FallinApart



Series: When Thoughts Are Constellations [1]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-07
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2017-11-09 08:31:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/453455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallinApart/pseuds/FallinApart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maggie had always dreamed that the Doctor would save her from her monotonous life. Only one fallback; he wasn't real. But the lines between reality and fiction are blurring and it seems the only one with any answers is an odd man who crash lands in her garbage bins... (Recently revamped)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dust After Rain

 

The ground was damp, and the sun had begun to settle behind the tree-bearing hills. The sky glowed with the last embers of the day.

A curly haired girl sat cross-legged on the slight slope of a hill that had a great overlook of the sunset. She ignored the slight itchiness of the wet grass and stretched her legs out.

  
“It’s beautiful isn’t it? I also love the smell after a good rain. It has been a while, huh?”

  
Maggie smiled as she turned her head the familiar female voice behind her. Elizabeth’s squinted blue eyes greeted her as she nodded towards the sunset.  
“Yep,” Maggie agreed, turning back towards the sunset. She loved how the rain seemed to make everything more crisp. She inhaled deeply, taking in the lovely scent.

  
“Petrichor…” she muttered.

 

“Sorry, what?” Elizabeth said.

  
“Oh…nothing. It’s just the smell of dust after rain, it’s actually called petrichor.”

  
“Oh, okay……you have fun with that then. I’m just going to go back inside now. Too many mosquitoes for my taste,” Elizabeth shuddered, leaving Maggie alone again.

  
Maggie sighed, “I learned that one from the Doctor,” she chuckled silently to herself.  
Of course she hadn’t actually met him. He wasn’t even real. He was just a character on a television show……but sometimes she did like to pretend that he wasn’t.  
Of course that was just a dream, but still a beautiful one that she liked to indulge herself with. She never stopped dreaming that.  
The girl who dreamed.

  
A loud ear-bursting noise filled the air, making Maggie nearly leap a foot in the air in surprise. She stood up and looked around, wide-eyed.  
“Elizabeth?” she shouted.

  
No answer.

  
Her breath caught as there was another crash, this time coming from the side of her house, near the garbage bins. She slowly walked towards the source of the noise.

  
“Hello?” Maggie spoke up, more meekly than she had intended.

 

For a moment there was silence, and she took another step forward.

  
“Bah!” a man shouted, emerging from the pile of rubbish, knocking falling garbage bins off of him. Maggie yelped in surprise, her hand shooting to her mouth as she watched this strange man climb out of her trash.

  
He looked to be covered with what may have been either soot or dirt, and he shook his head as he spit out a few random bits of trash.  
“I’ve had better landings,” the man muttered as he hopped to his feet. He paused as he noticed Maggie standing stiffly a few feet away, eyes widened and head tilted softly to the side.

  
“Hello!” the odd man began, a grin stretching across his face.

He had a British accent, Maggie noted. That was odd…

  
“Who are you?” Maggie sputtered, shaking her head as her eyes flickered up and down his form.

  
“Blunt one, aren't we? American....judging by the accent and....demeanor."

"What's that supposed to--?"

"--Anyway!" he cut her off brusquely, "You wouldn’t happen to have a towel or something, would you? I may need to clean off a bit…” the man looked as Maggie stared at him.

“Are you alright?” the man frowned.

  
She mouth opened slightly to say something, but she ended up just gaping at him as she shook her head.

  
“Why are you dressed like the Doctor....?"

The man's nearly non-existent brows furrowed together.

"Because I  _am_ the Doctor....how do you....?"

 

The Doctor frowned for a moment, before a big goofy smile slowly spread across his face as if something had suddenly dawned upon him. He shook a finger at her.

“Ahhh……you, I was warned about you. You, what’s your name, is it Molly?”

  
“Maggie," she corrected nearly automatically, blinking as the strangeness of her predicament dawned upon her.

  
“Oh, yes, now I remember.”

 

Maggie folded her arms across her chest with a half-scoff.

" _Remember_? Look, I'm sorry....if you need directions or anything, that's cool with me, but you're not going to just waltz into my yard claiming your a fictional, sci-fi, action hero, and then pretend like we've met before."

 

" _Sci-fi_....?" the dark haired man began, before shaking his head. "I'm not  _claiming_ to be anything. I  _am_ the Doctor."

 

"No.....he isn't real. That’s not possible," Maggie said simply, narrowing her eyes and unfolding her arms to hold up her hand, "Hold on,  _who_  warned you about me?”

 

A small smile played on the edges of the man's lips.

  
“Well……it’s a bit complicated.”

  
Maggie just stared at him once again, before laughing.

  
“Look....I don't know  _who_ you are, but you’re not the Doctor. And if you actually believe you are, you’re probably just some crazy guy messing with me. The Doctor isn’t real, he’s a fictional character."

  
The man gestured lazily and gave a shrug.

  
“What is considered  _fictional_  or  _real_  in one universe, may not be in another. Objective reality is an illusion,  _Mags_ , and you better get that in your head pretty  _quick_."”

the man snapped his fingers, still wearing that subtle, smile as he met her eyes.

"You  _are_  right about one thing though..."

she paused, unsure of what this odd man would do.

"....what?"

"I definitely  _am_ some crazy guy, but I'm  _not_ messing with you.

She eyed him carefully, leaning in ever so slightly to get a better look at him.

 

_If he isn't telling the truth, that is by far the best cosplay I have ever seen._

She mused silently, meeting this strange man's green eyes.

  
“Okay....Let’s just say you really  _are_  the Doctor. Why are you here?”

  
“I don’t know yet.....The old girl malfunctioned and I landed here. Some sort of force with enough electromagnetic pull to cause the TARDIS to crash land....It threw me out when I was trying to break into the main circuit board....hence me crashing into your bins," he gestured to the area around him as his head swiveled around, taking in the surroundings.

  
Maggie nodded hesitantly, “So....how much did this mystery person tell about me then? ”

 

 “Not nothing....but not exactly  _something_."

"You're strange."

His eyes snapped back down from his search of the surroundings and he offered a warm smile.

 

"The whole thing’s just a bit…. _wobbly_. Relative perception of reality aside, allow me to start over," the Doctor extended a sooty hand, “Hello, I’m the Doctor.”

 

Maggie felt a sharp tug in her gut and something in her brain clicked into place as she looked at his hand.

 

_What if he actually is the Doctor?_

 

A smile had crept onto Maggie’s face subconsciously. She met his grip.

  
“I’m Maggie. Maggie Dalton. “

  
The Doctor smiled, “Well,  _Maggie_ , would you mind if I went inside, and spruced up a bit?”

  
“….Yes, of course!" she sputtered out before common sense got the best of her.

".... _Wait_ , hold on, if you’re the Doctor, prove it to me. Could I see your sonic screwdriver? What about the TARDIS?”

  
“You ask a lot of questions.”

  
“Yes.”

  
“Well, good. Just make sure they’re not stupid,” he smiled, flicking out his sonic and scanning the air.

  
“Whoa! You have some  _cowboys_  out here,” glancing over at Maggie, “No pun intended.”

  
Maggie fought the urge to roll her eyes

“Like I’ve never heard that one before. Come on.....you look and smell like you fell into a volcano.”

  
“Well, it’s sulfur you’re smelling and actually….”

  
“One bombshell at a time, please.”

 

****~~~****

 

 

“You want anything to eat? I think we have some fishsticks in the fridge,” she remarked dryly.

  
“No thanks, not hungry,” the Doctor said as he scrubbed the last of the soot off of his face. Maggie silently marveled at the man before her. He had to be the Doctor, either that, or a perfect doppelganger. Every detail was the same, from the barely there-eyebrows, to the cheekbones and the just-right shade of tweed paired with the bow-tie.

  
“Do you usually stare this much?” the Doctor’s eyes met hers and a slight smile played on his lips. Maggie's face flushed and she quickly looked away as she shook her head.

  
“No, this is just…..weird to me. “

  
The Doctor’s head turned as the clicking of heels echoed on the hardwood floor.  
“Hey Liz, this is…..”

  
“Let me guess, one of your nerdy friends. Nice costume by the way,” she nodded to the Doctor and her light brown hair swayed. “Anyway, I’m heading out for the night, and sleeping over at Amanda’s. Later!” Elizabeth waved, slamming the door behind her.

  
“Costume?” the Doctor inquired, looking back towards the door.

  
“Yeah, that was my sister, Elizabeth. You…. remember, I told you....you aren’t exactly real here, in this  _objective_  reality....I suppose. You’re a character in a television show. So, of course she thought you were just wearing a costume,” Maggie shrugged, “And besides…..you don’t exactly see many people wearing tweed jacket s and bowties around here.”

  
The Doctor grimaced and straightened his bow-tie, “Well, maybe people around here just aren’t cool enough for them.”

  
“Bow-ties  _are_  cool,” Maggie chuckled, staring out the window and looking at the now dark sky.

  
“Where are the rest of your family?”  
“Oh, well, Liz and I are both in college, but we’re home for break, so everyone’s out doing their own thing. Sense we went off to school, my parents picked up house-flipping as a hobby...that's what happens when you watch too many home improvement shows I guess,” she added with a laugh.

 

The Doctor clapped his hands together,

 

“Okay! Let’s get down to business!”

  
“ _To defeat, the Huns_ ,” Maggie added.

 

“What?”

  
“Nothing."

  
The Doctor leapt out of his seat and paced the kitchen.

  
“So, what do we have? Something brought the TARDIS here, to this location, but what? What could it possibly be? This is an alternate universe."

The Doctor rubbed his hands together in thought.

"Tell me, Maggie, has there been anything strange happening here recently?” he said, pausing and leaning against the granite-top island.  
Maggie laughed at the thought of anything occurring in the low-key suburbs around her, let alone something odd.

  
“I’m going to have to say no on that one. Do you want to know what this town’s nickname is?” Maggie said running a hand through her messy hair. The Doctor looked over at her.

  
“And what would that be?” he asked.

  
“The Brentwood Bubble. It’s the place where nothing ever happens,” Maggie said as she stood up and walked over to the fruit bowl, grabbing an apple, “It’s almost as if there’s a literal bubble around the place. It’s the most boring place on earth…" she pursed her lips a moment.

"Come to think of it, the bubble metaphor is a little too accurate. Around here, tornadoes go around us, snow goes north and south, but never in the Bubble. I've seen it myself actually."

The Doctor tilted his head, examining her carefully.

"I had horrible storm anxiety when I was a kid....but slowly I became less and less scared of them when I watched the storms roll in, happen, then leave. You used to be able to stand outside and watch the worst of the storm go around us..."

  
“That’s it! Maybe there really is some sort of force field around your town,” the Doctor said, taking off and running at towards the door.

  
“Hey, hold on! Where are you going?” Maggie yelled after him, and she ran after him. She skidded to a halt as he peaked back around the door.

  
“To the TARDIS, are you coming?” he inquired. Maggie nodded, her brown curls bouncing slightly. The Doctor smiled, and pulled her out the door by her hand.  
“Geronimo!”

 

  
  


 

 

 


	2. Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey

 

 

 

_"Do you even know where you're going?"_

 Maggie panted exasperatedly as the Doctor tugged her along the lamp-lit street. The air was so thick with humidity it practically suffocated her. Her hair began to cling to her face.

They were still running. Maggie made herself a mental note that _she may or may not_ be in the process of being abducted. She wasn't sure, but prayed silently that this man really was the Doctor. She was positively certain that he was, however, now doubts had begun to take root in her mind.

 _Well…_ She figured, _at least if he isn't telling the truth you have to admit dying by the hands of some psycho dressed like the Doctor is at least an interesting way to go out_. It could be worse.

"Ahhh…..yes, of course I do!" he said interrupting her train of thought.

 "….I can feel her around her somewhere! Usually I can sense where the TARDIS is, but….something is throwing me off," The Doctor said, uncertainty creeping into his tone.

 

Maggie suddenly skidded to a halt, tugging back her wrist, and almost slipping on the damp concrete. That was enough. She refused to go another step until she was certain of who he was. The Doctor let go of her wrist without resistance, but spun around, raising his brows and shooting her an incredulous stare.

"How do I know you are who you say you are?" she said, her hand flying to her head and brushing the stray hairs out of her face. "We've been running for five minutes! How am I supposed to know if you're not just some crazed psychopath who happens to have a weird fetish for dressing like the Doctor!”

“Weird fetish…?” he muttered before she cut him off once more.

“—I’m not taking another step if you don't prove it right _now_. I'm curious, but I'm not _stupid_ ," Maggie spat, her eyebrows knitted together. She didn't know where the sudden tough-girl bravado came from, but she figured for her own safety it was better to come off tougher than not. She folded her arms and attempted to give the man a solid glare that likely came off far less intimidating as she thought.

 

The Doctor considered her words for a moment. He stepped forward, looking her squarely in the eyes. She could see the dark green reflect dimly in the street light. It wasn't until then that she realized how much taller he was than she, at least six inches. She silently cursed her unintimidating height.

 _Suck it up, and stand straight,_ she mused silently, pulling herself to her full height.

_Mind over matter._

 

"Listen," the Doctor began, looking at her earnestly. He was close enough that she could see her own skeptical look reflected in his eyes.

 "I need you to trust me. Please, just believe me," he smiled, and quoted himself, "Twenty minutes. Believe me for twenty minutes."

 

Maggie scoffed at the absurdity of the situation. She wasn't sure if he even knew that she knew those were the same words he had said to Amy. She slowly shook her head before pausing.

_I swear I’m going to get myself killed at this rate._

"Okay…..under one condition," She started slowly, against her better judgment. He clasped his arms behind his back and leaned forward attentively.

 

"Sonic something. If something _actually_ happens, I'll believe you."

 

His face lit up, this time in a big, goofy, lighthearted smile, and reached into his inner coat pocket, flicking out a small device that could only be a sonic screwdriver. He looked over at Maggie, a rather smug smirk playing on the edge of his lips. His eyebrows rose as he pressed a button.

 

_VVVSSSSHHHHHHHHHHZZZZZZZZZZZZ!_

 

Maggie's eyes widened and she jumped as sparks flew from the nearest lamp post. Its light flickered out with a noisy sizzling sound. Her mouth fell ajar and in that moment she was thankful for the slight darkness because the stupidly wide smile that graced her lips must have made her look like complete idiot. A high pitched giggle involuntarily fell from her lips and her hands flew to her mouth.

She couldn't believe it. She stood silently with wide eyes and vaguely wondered if this must be what it's like to be completely and _utterly_ star-struck.

 

 _Stop staring like some fangirly teen,_ she chided herself.

 

"So…..are you coming?" he asked, his tilted slightly. Maggie's hands fell from her face, but her smile remained plastered to her lips as she gave a weak nod. Part of her wished that she could have come up with some clever funny quip, but her inner smartass seemed to be temporarily unable in that moment.

 

"Allons-y," she whispered, but she knew he had heard. He rose a questioning brow, but nodded to the street in front of them.

 

"But…..on a more serious note…where _is_ the TARDIS?" Maggie asked, strolling alongside him.

 

"Ahh….. _no idea_." he threw his arms up in mock surrender as he continued, "Which is _extremely,_ not very good," He stopped walking and his hand shot to his hair.

"Something is _very_ wrong here, and without the TARDIS I won't be able to run a scan for any temporal energy flux…”

He paused, the creases between his browns deepening.

“Unless…. I suppose I _could_ use a laptop to build a makeshift temporal scanner….." he paused again, eyes flickering to Maggie. Her eyes widened.

“No.”

_Not my baby._

"Oh, no, _no,_ no….you are _not_ taking apart my laptop to make some sort of scanner…thingy."

The Doctor suddenly resembled something akin to a guilty puppy.

"I _promise_ I'll put it back together! And I could set it up so you'd have free wi-fi anywhere in time and space!" he tilted his head and gave what resembled a pout. "Ah? So what do you say….deal?"

She considered this for a moment.

  _The man drives a hard bargain._

"Fine…deal."

 

……..

 

The two backtracked to Maggie's home. The house was dark when they returned. Maggie pushed open the door. However…she realized something was odd. She hadn't turned off the lights when she had left.

The Doctor seemed to have also noticed as he met her cautious glance.

"Hello?" she called out timidly into the darkness of the house, carefully stepping one foot into the doorway. Her eyes darted around the shadowed foyer.

"Careful…" the Doctor muttered, "We need to grab the laptop….and leave. Someone….or _something_ has been inside your house," he said quietly.

 _Of course…..why does it always have to be a_ something _when it comes to the Doctor._

"Now, where is it?"

 

"On the kitchen counter," Maggie said in a hushed reply.

 

"Okay…..follow my lead," the Doctor said before stepping ahead of her, one cautious foot in front of another. Maggie found herself holding her breath as she peered into the darkness of the small foyer. Her heart pulsed painfully in her chest as she followed closely behind him, moving slightly to the side so she had a view into the kitchen.

The Doctor continued forward and cautiously flicked on one light. Maggie hesitantly walked into the kitchen, glancing around once more.

"Careful…keep your eyes peeled."

Maggie nodded and snatched the laptop off of the counter.

 _Great. Mysterious alien creatures in my house would be just what I need_. She thought as she retreated towards the door.

 The hardwood floor creaked behind her. She stiffened.

" _Doctor_?" she said.

"Yes?" he replied in a slightly muffled voice.

"Are you standing behind me?"

"What—no. _Maggie_!" The Doctor shouted, shattering the silence. Maggie whipped around and stumbled back, terror clutching at her chest.

_Shit._

Her eyes widened as she took in a large creature that loomed several feet above her. It was consumed by mostly shadows and she stared at it in paralyzing awe for a moment before it raised its arm and swung at her. She snapped back into reality, and, clutching the laptop close to her chest, she deftly ducked under the gigantic arm, darting behind the beast, to the door.

"Maggie! We have to leave now!" the Doctor shouted, pulling her quickly towards the door. Maggie nodded wordlessly, looking fearfully at the strange beast in her home.

“You don’t say…” she muttered as he snatched her hand.

" _Run!"_

He didn't have to tell her twice. They ran, fast and hard, and with far more purpose than before. Maggie did all she could to hold on the laptop, and clung to it as if it was a life raft. After a few minutes, and checking several times to see if they were still being pursued, they slowed to a stop.

Maggie coughed, her chest heaving to regain a steady breathing pattern. Her hands rested on her knees as she looked up at the Doctor.

 _Well, this was not how I expected my day to go…._ She mused, her gaze drifting back down to the crackling concrete at her feet.

"What was that….. _thing_?" she panted.

"I wasn't able to get a very good look at it, but I know that it was very large, and _not_ very friendly."

"No shit, Sherlock," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Well, since going back to your house is out of the question, are there any other places nearby we could spend a moment so I could locate the TARDIS?" the Doctor said.

She straightened back up and pursed her lips for a moment.

"I could have driven us somewhere…..but my car is back at the house, so that’s out of the question….There _is_ a private school less than a block away that has a set of stone bleachers we could sit on…"

"That'll do!" he exclaimed clapping his hands together. "Lead the way."

……

 

Maggie wrung her hands nervously and shivered. It wasn't very cold, but it was a sort of humid cool. The temperature had dropped significantly, but she wasn’t sure how much of that was from the cool air, or from adrenaline wearing off, and the realization of finding a strange creature in the safe haven of her home. She had texted Elizabeth and told her not to go back there, making some lame excuse why. She slid her palms over the cool stone as she gazed into the night sky.

"Beautiful isn't it," Maggie said nodding towards the sky. The Doctor briefly paused his busy typing and glanced at Maggie, then at the sky.

"I suppose it is, but believe me, this is _nothing_. It's much too bright here to see the _really_ good stuff," he admitted. Maggie smiled. The smile slowly faded though as reality set in, knowing the very real possibility that she may not ever get to see the _really good stuff_ , as the Doctor put it.

"Voila! I've done it!" the Doctor exclaimed, tilting the laptop screen towards Maggie. Of course, she hadn’t a clue what to make of it.

 "With this, I'll be able to locate the TARDIS," he added, looking back to the screen and typing in some sort of extra code. A GPS-like map popped onto the screen, showing a blinking dot. "There you are…." He muttered, hopping to his feet and extending a hand to Maggie.

"Well come along, Mags!" he said.

                …….

"Oh, _hello gorgeous_! You had me worried." the Doctor crooned as he approached the TARDIS, brushing his hand across the painted wood exterior. He snapped his fingers and the door swung open. He took a step inside before looking over his shoulder, noticing that Maggie was not following.

She stood planted a few feet from the door, her mouth slightly ajar. She wrung her hands uncertainly in front of her, playing with the hem of her shirt. She blinked, realizing how idiotic she must have looked, staring like a deer in the headlights at the Doctor and the TARDIS.

"Well…..aren’t you coming?" the Doctor finally asked, after gauging her reaction for a moment. She stopped staring at the box for a moment and looked back to him.

"Am I invited?" she asked with an unusual note of shyness creeping into her voice. Her chest began to hurt as she vaguely realized that she had forgotten to breathe.

"Of course you are, why else would you still be here?" the Doctor waved his hands as he gestured her inside. She hesitantly stepped forward inside the TARDIS. She beamed, poorly masking her awe as she walked inside.

"I thought it would be _bigger_ ," she remarked dryly. His look of utter disbelief made her composure falter and smirk grew into a wry grin as she laughed. "Although, I suppose for tradition's sake I should say, _'It's bigger on the inside_.'"

“Alright then, smart arse, you can just _show yourself out_ and let me do my work if that’s your attitude," the Doctor said seriously, but then grinned with a small laugh, skipping up the steps towards the TARDIS controls, and pulling down a screen. "Now let's see what's happening with the temporal energy levels around here…." He said leaning in close to the scanner.

Maggie leaned over to try to get a peek. His eyes drifted across the screen before a sudden _pop!_ made him jump back. Sparks flew from the monitor, and the screen became static.

"I am assuming that isn't a good sign," Maggie said.

" _Wibbley-wobley timey wimey…."_ The Doctor said, spinning around to face Maggie, who leaned back as his face suddenly appeared inches from hers. "You have yourself a rift in time and space."


	3. Digging Deeper

 

 

 

Maggie paused for a moment, her brows furrowing together as she folded her arms across her chest.

"What do you mean a rift in time?" she said leaning against the TARDIS console.

"I _mean_ exactly what it sounds like. It would seem that something tore a hole in the very fabric of reality. Not only that, but the tear is widening…" the Doctor said as he raised the screen up and dug through a compartment in the console.

"How is that possible? It would take something pretty powerful to do that, right?"

"I'm sure yet," the Doctor said as he pocketed his small flip book of what she presumed to be his psychic paper. He spun back around to face her, frowning.

"I’ll figure that part out soon," he added with a wink.

Maggie nodded, allowing her eyes drift across the interior of the TARDIS. It all seemed utterly surreal. Sure, she had _imagined_ standing inside it so many times, but actually being inside it seemed like a dream. As her eyes darted across the surface of the console, something caught her eye.

“Is that what I think it is?” she laughed, reaching towards the bright, multicolored object peeking out from underneath a few loose papers. She lifted the papers and smiled.

"Ah, so of _all_ the things you have to entertain yourself with, you still have this?" she lifted the small cube, turning it briefly in her hand before tossing it to him. "A Rubik's cube? Seems pretty old-school."

The Doctor caught it. He examining it as it twirled between his fingers. "Well, if you haven’t noticed, _I am_ pretty old-school," he said before tossing it back to her. She shook her head, examining it a moment.

"Mind if I give it a shot?" she said.

"Sure, I don't see why not. Just don't _lose_ it. I've had that thing for ages,” he said with a small smile stretching across his lips.

“Did you know I helped create it? A pretty neat guy, Erno. A bit scatterbrained, but you can't have everything," the Doctor said, with a wave of dismissal.

Maggie quirked an eyebrow and laughed. She suddenly realized how heavy her eyelids felt, and gave an involuntary yawn. It probably hadn't been a good idea staying up so late the night before…..but how was she supposed to know a rampaging creature would appear in her house, preventing her from going to sleep at a reasonable hour.

"Tired?" the Doctor asked, his eyes flickering across her face.

"Just a bit. What time is it?" she shrugged, running a hand through her absurdly tangled hair.

                “Well, theoretically, time is an illusion and there is no absolute method of measuring accurate increments…”

                Her eyes lazily narrowed as she shot him an unimpressed look.

"….It’s half passed three in the morning."

“Well, shit….” she breathed, shaking her head.

“Oi, _language_ ,” he said with the snap of his fingers. She chuckled.

“ _Alright_ , sorry to insult your delicate sensibilities.”

 She briefly wondered how she had not felt tired before this moment. Although she realized it had been most likely from the adrenaline.

"I’m just going to mark that grouchy comment off as you being _tired_. If you would like there are…..a couple of bedrooms down the hall," he nodded toward the stairs to his right.

“I’m not grouchy….” she muttered, fighting back the yawn that would only prove his point.

 "I don't suspect that it would be a good idea for you to return to your home just yet, so feel free to just take any one of them."

Maggie's eyes widened a fraction as the implications of his statement hit her. She really _couldn't_ go home until they found out what that thing inside her house was; not to mention _why_ it was there.

But, hell, it couldn't really be too bad, considering it provided the opportunity to stay in the TARDIS. She snapped out of her reverie as she noticed him looking at her, leaning against the TARDIS console with a curious look. He likely could see the gears turning in her head. She never was very good at concealing her emotions.

" _Yes!_ Thank you. Really, thank you…..this is just….. _wow."_ she shook her head with a spreading smile, stepping back and nearly tripping on a bundle of wires.

  _Smooth._

"Ah, well….goodnight then!"

"Goodnight," the Doctor smiled, his eyes crinkling in the warm orange glow of the TARDIS lights.

…………………………..

 

Maggie hummed quietly to herself as she wandered down the corridor. It felt a bit odd, peeking into each room. It seemed like she was being intrusive, although she knew that the Doctor probably didn't mind. Most rooms she passed looked to be just random compartments for storage, occasionally with random obscure objects that she wasn't even quite able to identify. A few were obviously some sort inventions the Doctor must have been tinkering around with.

She yawned and figured exploring could be a matter for another time. One certain door caught her attention. Gently, she pushed open a blue wooden door, which looked a bit out of place surrounded by the mass of variously colored metals surrounding it. Peering inside, she found it was relatively normal-looking compared to the rest of the TARDIS she had seen. It had a double bed with a plain beige colored duvet and with a rickety-looking nightstand beside it. Also accompanied with the nightstand there was an alien-looking metallic lamp that softly illuminated the room. Across the room sat a vanity with several drawers that looked to be overstuffed with clothing of some sort, and beside that a wardrobe.

She ungracefully plopped down onto the bed with a content sigh. She didn't even bother climbing under the covers or taking off her shoes. She just laid there staring at the ceiling, (Which she now noticed was dotted with constellations that gave a view of the _actual_ night sky.) and didn't close her eyes for fear that she would wake up and find this was all just a dream. Eventually, her drooping eyelids won out and she instantly drifted into a dreamless sleep.

…..

….

..

 

"Wakey-wakey! We have loads to do, no time to sleep the day away!" the Doctor's voice echoed loudly in Maggie's ear. She groaned and absent-mindedly muttered an incoherent,

 "Five more minutes—"

"Ah!" she yelped as she was abruptly yanked up by her arm and her eyes instantly fluttered open. She hardly had time to rub her eyes when a warm cup was thrust into her hands.

She blinked, her lips pursed together as she stared at the cup in her hand.

 "What is this?" she asked groggily, her head spinning from the sudden shift from laying down to sitting.

"I made you tea! Not _only_ that, but it's a special Apalapachian blend that only grows on the Great Eastern Mountains during the third dry season of the year,” he gestured to the cup with a flourish.

“It's also known for its high caffeine content, which I figured you might want,” he said with a smile.

_Someone sure is a morning person._

She really shouldn't have been as surprised as must have looked. She took a cautious sip and winced at its strength. He really wasn’t lying. It was spicier than expected, and _very_ strong, yet still good in an unexpected way. The Doctor raised a brow expectantly.

"It's good, I like it. Thank you." Maggie nodded, taking another sip.

"Oh! And there are some extra clothes in the wardrobe if you like…" the Doctor nodded across the room.

"No thanks, I'll be fine for now," she smiled, trailing behind the Doctor in the narrow corridor, into the TARDIS control room.

The Doctor spun around, clapping his hands together.

"So! Ready for some investigating?"

 

"Ready as ever, I suppose," Maggie shrugged and without hesitation, Doctor grabbed her hand and practically leapt out the door.

"So how exactly does one do an investigation? We don't exactly have anywhere to start, do we? Aside from….you know, a _large_ hairy creature in my house."

"You may be surprised, we have more to go off of than you think."

She shot him a questioning glance.

"Really? Like what exactly?"

"Oh, just _relax,_ keep your eyes open. Something _is_ wrong here and there's bound to be at least one person in this town who will notice. Eventually, the clues will find us, but you just have to learn how to know them when you see them,” he remarked with a smile, giving her a reassuring wink.

“So, you’re saying we do nothing.”

“Well….not _exactly_.”

“But you are….we’re basically just waiting for something to happen.”

“No, we’re keeping our _eyes open._ It’s like waiting but with more greatness.”

She shook her head, meeting his eyes with a wry smile.

"Fine then. So where do we start?"

"Perhaps a local park, or a town square?" the Doctor nodded to the park they were passing. He gave her a look and shrugged.

Maggie leapt up on the bench as they strolled down the sidewalk. A group of young children ran by and the Doctor smiled and waved at them.

"Come on, let's take a look around," the Doctor said, turning around to face the bench. He extended his hand and Maggie accepted, hopping back down from the bench.

"We can start by simply asking around," the Doctor said. Maggie idly bit at her lip, unsure of how well that would go with the aloof soccer moms of the area…. especially in _the Bubble_.

"What exactly are you planning on asking them? _‘Sorry sir, have there been any alien monsters in your home,_ ’ or maybe _‘excuse me ma’am, have you noticed or experienced any recent fluxes in temporal energy of your area?’_ “

Maggie pantomimed with a laugh.

“Let’s be honest here, none of that is anything you want to ask a complete stranger unless you’re looking to get yourself institutionalized,” she continued, sending a rock skidding across the sidewalk with her shoe.

"Hmm…." The Doctor seemed to contemplate this for a moment, "Well, that may just be a risk I'm willing to take!" he smiled, glancing around at the groups of people passing by.

"Excuse me!..." the Doctor shouted out at a group of two mothers accompanied by small children, "by any chance have you noticed any…..suspicious activity in the area? No? Oh…..alright then…" the conversation faded as the Doctor drifted away from earshot.

She slowly shook her head, snorting a laugh to herself. As much as she hated being the pessimistic one, she was fairly certain his method wouldn’t work with this crowd.

She shifted her weight on her feet as she turned to reclaim her seat on the wooden bench. No reason not to get comfortable.

  _I probably should try to help….._

She mused, propping her head up with her arm as she leaned against the bench.

_Small talk with strangers isn’t really my thing…_

The day grew hot, though a cool breeze wafted through the air. She must have watched the Doctor skip from person to person for nearly an hour before he showed any signs of tiring. It had become something of an entertaining cycle, watching the energy in his face when approaching a new person and asking a question, the fading smile as they probably gave an irrelevant, or less than enthusiastic response, and the subtle look of disappointment that graced his face before he moved on to the next one. She couldn't help, but admire his persistence though.

Movement flickered in the corner of her eye and she noticed a figure beginning to approach her. She glanced over, squinting in the sunlight as the figure’s face came into view. A young man, appearing to be in his early twenties, shuffled closer, his head tilted slightly. His light brown hair fell in slight disarray as another gust of wind ruffled the loose hair into his eyes, which seemed to be lingering on Maggie. He slowed to a stop a few feet from the bench and offered a rather bashful smile.

"Hey, I'm so sorry to disturb you….. but you look incredibly familiar," he began, his hand rose and pushed the stray locks of hair from his eyes and away from his horn-rimmed glasses.

"Didn’t we…….go to high school together?" he offered, eyes narrowing slightly as they flickered across her face for any form of recognition.

Maggie blinked and hesitantly returned the smile. She slowly rose to her feet, trying to pretend that she only vaguely remembered him.

Who was she kidding?

 It was Claus Sinclair. He had been a rather gawky senior when she was a freshman in high school, and she had spent nearly the entire year silently pining over him while her friends teased her for it. He wasn't exactly the most popular of the senior class, but Maggie had always seemed to be drawn to the withdrawn, intelligent types.

 

"Yeah…..I think we might have." she said, extending her hand with a smile.

 "Um…..it was Claus, right? Claus Sinclair?" she said putting on her best poker face. His face lit up, a small smile quirking up the edges of his lips.

"Yes, and it was…. _Maggie_ , right?" he said slowly reaching out to meet her grasp. She nodded and looked away, not really sure what to say.

"So…..what brings you back to Brentwood?" Maggie asked, suddenly realizing the awkwardness of the conversation. She inwardly slapped herself. That question was on par with ‘ _Come around here often?’_ as far as dumb questions went.

"I managed to get a job at the local newspaper. I worked for a bigger one for a while, but they recently had to……downsize,” he admitted with slight grimace.

" _Oh_ …I'm sorry. Well, at least you’re getting work experience, so that’s a bonus," Maggie offered with a small smile.

“Yeah…..it could be much worse, " he admitted, "It would be nice if there was an actual story to right about around here though," he chuckled, shaking his head.

“At least in the city there’s a lot more activity.”

"Well, that is true," Maggie said with a nod. Her gaze drifted over Claus's shoulder and noticed the Doctor walking towards them, his tweed jacket draped over his arm.

Claus turned his head, following her gaze. The Doctor smiled as he approached the two.

"Oh, Claus, this is the Doctor, he's a friend of mine," Maggie said, her attention shifting back to Claus. He nodded, extending his hand to the Doctor.

" _Hello_ ," the Doctor chimed.

"Hey, I’m Claus," he said. The Doctor smiled warmly as he grasped his hand.

"Doctor, Claus went to high school with me," Maggie said, looking at the Doctor, but nodding towards Claus.

"Oh, very nice!" the Doctor said, plopping down on the bench and crossing his legs.

"So how did it go?" Maggie asked, the Doctor shaking his head slightly.

"Could've gone better," he shrugged, "I heard a few things, but nothing really too bad, nothing too good. A bit of the weird….but not in the way we’re looking for,” he huffed.

"Sorry…..but may I ask what you're talking about?" Claus inquired.

Maggie opened her mouth, but it was the Doctor who replied first.

"There's been some strange things happening around here. I'm just poking my head around to see if anyone else saw anything…. _weird.”_

"So……are you some kind of reporter?" Claus asked.

 

"Ehh…not quite. Just……a concerned third party observer," the Doctor offered with a sly smile.

"Oh. Well, I might be able to help," Claus said. The Doctor raised his brows, "I work for the local newspaper.”

 The Doctor shot a brief look to Maggie.

"Really? That's fantastic!" the Doctor said grinning, "So could you tell me, has there been anything particular strange happening around here?"

Claus paused a moment, considering this.

"Well…..there has been a few odd things," he shrugged, “At least odd for this area.”

"Like….. _what_?" Maggie pressed, eyes flickering to the Doctor.

"Well, apparently," Claus began, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, "There has been a variation of smaller crimes occurring in the area, stolen items, a break in or two…..Of course, they _were_ petty until recently, when someone was _attacked_. The police say that they might have reason to believe that these crimes are linked—"

"Why would you say that?"

"B-because," Claus paused, eyeing the Doctor uncertainly, "Because the crimes bare an…..uncanny resemblance to fairytales…." Claus quickly glanced away, looking sheepishly at the ground.

“I promise I’m not making this up. I have a reliable source on the inside of the department.”

"No, it’s okay. I believe you…..it’s just….do you mean like the Brothers Grimm sort of fairytales?" Maggie asked, her brows furrowing.

"Yes, like the Brothers Grimm. Other sorts too, but no one can seem to agree with the connection. They want to keep it under wraps just in case it escalates, but it's all there. "

"So what has happened exactly?" the Doctor said.

“A vandalism or two…..break ins…..an animal attack…and a woman was poisoned. She was in a coma for over a few weeks….”

"If she was in a coma, how do you know it was poison that did it?"

"They found her on the floor of her home, already comatose, an apple in her hand with a bite out of it. The police investigated the area, but there was no evidence of a break in. Traces of poison had been found both in her system and in the apple.”

"That sounds more than a little suspicious…." The Doctor looked off past the field beyond the playground, "By any chance, do you have the name of the person who was attacked by the animal?"

"I can't be sure, but I believe her first name was Ruby….hold on," Claus paused, pulling his bag off his shoulder and rummaged through it for a moment.

 "I think I may have the notes on that case in here…" he pulled out a wad of papers, quickly dampening his finger before flicking through the pages. He paused, and tugged out one page.

"I believe it was….Ruby Sinard," he looked back up and met the Doctor’s gaze.

The Doctor smiled.

"Wonderful! Well, Claus you have been quite helpful, and it's a pleasure to have met your acquaintance. My apologies, but I believe Maggie and I must be on our way," the Doctor began edging away from a frowning Claus. His eyes flickered to Maggie.

"I don't believe I really—"

"Sorry, thank you so much, gotta go!" Maggie cut off Claus with a wave as the Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the sidewalk and down a path beside a baseball field.

 She felt bad for just leaving Claus there. This whole business was making her a bit on edge.

_None the less, it’s certainly a change of pace._

She mused, smiling at the thought. Of course it was a change of pace, she was with the Doctor for god's sake.

"So…..is this some sort of criminal investigation now. What are you, Sherlock Holmes?" Maggie snorted, nudging the Doctor's arm. "Are we going to pretend to be cops, journalists, what?"

" _You_ , a _concerned_ citizen, me, liason agent from Scotland Yard," the Doctor looked over and Maggie and smiled, his forehead crinkling as he raised his brows.

“Good luck selling that one.”

"Oi, shut it. We're going to play some detective."


	4. Blood Red

Before she knew it, Maggie found herself on an unfamiliar doorstep. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as the Doctor raised a fist, knocking on the white-washed wooden door.

_How the hell did I get myself into this….?_

Maggie mused silently as she stole a nervous glance around the mostly empty outdoor hallway of the apartment complex. Her eyes briefly met the Doctor’s, and he offered a reassuring smile.

"Not to worry, I’ve done this _loads_ of times,” he said, his hands clasping behind his back as he rocked on his heels. She nodded softly, taking a deep breath.

_Don’t think of it as lying…..just as acting. Acting for a greater good….that’s it._

She reassured herself as the door creaked open.

The rusted sliding lock rattled softly as the door opened just far enough for a tan face to peer through the opening.

                “Hello?” the young woman said, her brows furrowed as she peered at the strangers at her doorstep. Her large brown eyes flickered between them, and her dark hair dangled from a loose ponytail and into her face.

                “Hello! I’m a local police communications liaison conducting a follow-up in regard to your recent attack,” the Doctor turned to Maggie with a smile, “And this is my assistant, Miss Dalton, who is accompanying me today. I only need to have a few details about your case clarified. Do you mind?”

                The young woman raised her brows questioningly.

                “If you’re a local informant, why are you English?”

                “Ah, sharp one, you are. I just moved here,” he dismissed quickly with a flourish of his hand.

                “Could I see some identification?”

                “Absolutely!” the Doctor chimed, reaching into this inner coat pocket and pulling out his pad of psychic paper. Ruby leaned closer and stared at the paper for a moment before unlatching the door lock.

“Sorry about that….it’s just ever since the whole _incident_ I’ve had a lot of weirdos and conspiracy theorists at my doorstep.”

Maggie laughed quietly with a small nod and the Doctor offered a smile.

                “Well, you can never be too careful these days. May we come in?”

                “Yeah, just take a seat wherever,” Ruby said, stepping aside as she pulled the door open.

                Maggie shot the Doctor a look that tried to convey

                _Are we actually doing this?_

He chuckled softly as he met her eyes and gave her a reassuring pat on the back.

                As Maggie trailed inside behind the Doctor, her eyes flickered around the room.

                “That’s a lot of red….” She remarked without really thinking. Ruby’s brows furrowed slightly as she shot her a look.

                “…..you must be a big _Robins_ fan,” Maggie added quickly as she caught a glimpse of the local college’s insignia on a bright red sweatshirt draped over the couch. It was true; she did happen to have a lot of red laying around the room, mostly in the form of school spirit memorabilia. Ruby, nodded, her skeptical expression softening.

                "Yeah….I was pretty big with running track in college,” she said with a small chuckle. “They called me _Ruby Robin_ for a while,” she added with a smile. “Well, of Ruby’s just a nickname. My real name is Rubaina-Anshi,” she said with a shrug as she sat down on a small leather loveseat against the wall.

                “That’s a _beautiful_ name, why bother changing it?” Maggie asked as she sat down beside the Doctor on an older, rattier couch. Ruby waved a dismissive hand.

 “Oh, well, I moved in town when I was younger here, so I shortened it to fit in…..Sometimes I’d go by Ruby, sometimes Ani….and it just sort of stuck…….So…..what was it that you wanted to ask me?”

"Oh, Yes! You were _attacked_. Supposedly by some sort of creature, from what we heard. So what exactly did you see? A large dog? A bear?......Not many bears around here though, eh?"

"No," Ruby said blinking, before releasing a sigh, "….but if I told you what I actually saw, you'd think I'm insane."

Maggie perked up in her seat, her eyes flickering to the Doctor and back to her.

 “ _Oh_ no, not at all. We’re…..simply here to listen to your first-hand account, not to make any judgements or rule out any possibilities," she said carefully.

Ruby’s looked at Maggie with slightly widened eyes, "Look….I _swear_ I’m not crazy……There was this _thing_ , but I _honestly_ don't think it was a dog…..I-I really don't know. It was huge, and hairy, and its teeth were weirdly huge…" she trailed off, looking at her hands, folded neatly in her lap with a sigh, "I’ve seen my share of coyotes and dogs and what-not when I’m out running…..but this thing wasn’t any of those. "

The Doctor briefly glanced at Maggie, before looking back at Ruby.

“By any chance…..did it resemble a canine of any sort?”

Ruby hesitated, her eyes narrowing slightly and then nodded.

"Yes, actually…..."

The Doctor nodded, smiling as he hopped to his feet.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you, and thank you for your time," the Doctor half-lunged across the room and shook her hand. Maggie blinked in confusion as she stood.

“Wait—was that all that you needed?” Ruby said, her brows furrowed, rising from her seat.

“Yes! And you have been extremely helpful in our investigation. We’ll be in touch!”

“But wait, didn’t they already investi—?“ Ruby began before the Doctor cut her off.

"—have a nice day!" the Doctor blurted as snatched Maggie’s hand and made a beeline for the door.

                Maggie tripped her foot got tangled on a bundle of wires as the Doctor dragged her out behind him.

                “Sorry!” she muttered in a quick apology as she struggled to keep up with the Doctor’s long strides.

                As the door slammed shut behind them, Maggie swore under her breath.

                “ _Slow down._ Geeze, I practically have to run to keep up with you!” she huffed.

                “What was that about? Where are you going?”

                He looked back at her, only slowing his step a fraction.

                “To the TARDIS, of course! I need to check on something…..”

 

………………….

….

                The TARDIS hummed softly in the background as Maggie leaned against the railing.

"So…..are you thinking what Claus told us may actually be right? You know, with the whole _fairy tale_ thing….”

The Doctor offered a noncommittal sound of acknowledgement, his hand raking through his hair.

“I mean….what Ruby described sounds a whole lot like the Big Bad Wolf, don't you think?" Maggie said, leaning against a rail in the TARDIS, "And of course, there is the fact her name is Ruby, and all that red. It’s almost comical….”

                The Doctor abruptly spun towards Maggie, pointing at her.

                “ _Precisely._ It almost feels too obvious…..”

                “….almost like it was staged.”

"Yes, and then there’s the matter of your _shirt_.”

“My _shirt?”_

Her brows furrowed as she looked down.

                “It’s……..red.”

                “And it’s the same one you were wearing yesterday, when we were attacked…..and it’s the same color as pretty much _everything_ Miss Sinard owns.”

                Maggie frowned.

                “That’s true….but kind of a long shot, don’t you think? You know, correlation not equaling causation and all that.”

                “ _Ohh._ Come on, have some _imagination,_ Magzter!” the Doctor skipped down the stairs and landed in front of her with a wry grin.

 "It's a strong possibility, too strong to ignore……Especially after what your friend, Claude, said.”

“You mean _Claus_ ….?”

“Him too,” he said, patting her on the shoulder before clapping his hands together.

 "Ooooh, I _love_ a good fairytale! It’s been a while.......aside from the entire _Pandorica_ debacle," he muttered under his breath before waving his hand in dismissal.

“Any favorites?”

“Not really….they’re usually a bit too….simplistic. I don’t know,” she said with a shrug.

The Doctor smiled and fixed his tweed jacket.

"Personally, I prefer more of the _classics_ , like Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday, or the Emperor Dalek's New Clothes."

Maggie snorted at his serious expression and couldn't hold back a laugh. His composure dissolved and he cracked a grin.

" _So_ , what do you say we see if Claus could give us any _more_ intel?" the Doctor said before halting mid-stride.

“ _Wait!”_

Maggie tilted her head as she watched him run out of the room for a moment. A moment later he returned grasping a light green shirt.

" _Just in case_ my theory is correct," he said, tossing it to Maggie. She hopped off of the rail and chuckled as he turned around put his hands over his eyes.

_Better than the alternative, I suppose._

She thought with a small smile and a chuckle as she changed shirts.

"Alright, I'm good," she said, trailing behind him as the Doctor nodded and strode towards the door.

"Are you sure you want to do this then?" she asked. He raised his brows.

"I mean, what if we're just dealing with some sort of psycho that has nothing to do with aliens?"

"Aliens or not, a _big bad wolf_ doesn’t sound remarkably human,” the Doctor countered, his long strides difficult to match as they walked down the block.

She hummed in acknowledgement, but the thought was short lived. He reached out, suddenly grasping her arm.

She looked over at him, but he was no longer paying attention to her. His eyes grew wide, and his shoulders tensed.

"No _really_ …..let's not forget about the _big bad wolf_." He said, his eyes snapping to the bush to the right of them as a twig snapped. Maggie's heart skipped a beat.

_“Oh dear.”_

Heavy silence fell between the two. The silence shattered with a nearly metallic grow as an enormous figure leapt from the shrubs.

 Maggie yelped, stumbling backwards, but the Doctor's grip on her wrist kept her upright. She caught a flash of gnashing teeth as she felt a sharp tug on her arm.

" _Run_!"

Her frigid muscles shot to life at the sound, and she leapt away, trailing at the Doctor’s heels.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

Maggie gasped as she stumbled forward. The Doctor’s hand reached out and caught her arm, keeping her balanced as they ran forward.

“It’s not exactly the best time for you to flaunt your clumsy side!” the Doctor huffed.

“I’d say it’s less of a side, and more of a way of life….” She chuckled breathlessly.

“Well, that’s reassuring…..”

“Oh, _you’re_ one to talk!” she retorted.

_Good Lord. Donna wasn't kidding when she said there was an outrageous amount of running to do._

Maggie mused as the Doctor yanked her around a corner. Her back collided with the stone wall and her eyes shot to the Doctor. His chest heaved as he slowly brought one finger to his lips. He leaned towards her, his breath tickling the hair by her ear.

" _Listen_ ," he began, glancing around, "I need you to trust me. I'm going to ask something big of you, but I _need_ to know that you will do it….." the Doctor’s hand gently grasped her shoulders.

_“Do you trust me?”_

                “Sure?”

                Her words didn’t even sound convincing to her own ears.

                “I’m going to need a much more definite answer than that….”

Maggie frowned, chewing at her lip as her eyes darted across his features.

She wanted to trust him. And despite part of her fighting the nagging thought that she didn’t really _know_ him. But…..despite that……she _did._

_She trusted him._

Hesitantly, she nodded.

"I trust you."

                A smile stretched across his lips, eyes glinting softly in the glow of the street lamp as he nodded.

" _Okay_ ….okay then. Are you a decent runner?" he inquired.

“Not particularly….”

“Well, I suggest you learn fast….”

Maggie nodded, not liking where this plan was heading….

 

"The TARDIS is only a block or so from here…….and I _need_ you to distract that thing so I can get a straight shot to the TARDIS. Lead our not-so-friendly-furry-friend to that track we passed, and I'll be waiting."

"So I'm the bait.”

“Precisely.”

                She sighed, gesturing her arms in defeat.

                “Alright….. _fine_.”

                _At least if I die it’ll be an interesting way to go….._ he thought grimly with a chuckle. Her hand raked through her hair.

                “Yep….I’m going crazy…” she muttered as she met his weak smile with an unamused look.

                _Or desperately trying to impress him._

“Ready then?”

"As ready as I will ever be," she said, pushing off of the brick wall. "Here goes nothing," Maggie said taking a deep breath.

  _Just play the role….be the brave companion. Just play the part._

She darted around the corner.

"Hey, you……ugly rabies-infested mutt! _Yeah_ , I'm talking to you!" she shouted at the wolf-like creature.

_Does it even understand insults?_

 Its head snapped up and a low growl emitted from its maw.

_Guess it doesn’t matter…_

                The creature began to stalk towards her. Her body froze, but the creature’s sudden bark jarred her out of her reverie and she recoiled with a yelp.

                “—oh god…” she muttered as it lunged towards her and she pivoted away to break into a run. She stole a glance towards the Doctor’s hiding place and met his gaze apprehensively.

"If I get mauled today, I’m going to haunt the _shit_ out of you!" she shouted breathlessly as she rushed by him.

She could have sworn he mouthed a _“Sorry!”_ but she was long gone.

He’d better work fast…

 

………………………………………

…….

He ran. The TARDIS came within view and the Doctor fumbled with the door before simply shoving it open.

"Come on old girl...give me a hand. It must be around here somewhere!" he tossed miscellaneous items over his shoulder as he rummaged through the compartments, muttering incoherently to himself as he dug. "No…no, that's not it. No, no, no!" he stepped back, hands raking through his hair in exasperation.

Spinning around, he swung open a cabinet.

"Aha!" he beamed, seizing a small orb from the console cabinet. He grinned with satisfaction, stuffing the metallic orb into his pocket.

…………………………..

……..

 

_This was an awful idea._

Maggie felt a bead of sweat drip down her brow. She really should have tried harder in gym class…

Her chest heaved as she caught a glance back at the hairy beast trailing not far behind her. Her legs practically screamed at her in protest as she urged herself into a sprint.

Where was the Doctor? Didn't he say he would be waiting for her?

_Oh, no._

Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her.

Cardio definitely wasn’t her forte.

She heard the sharp scratch of claws against the track.

_So close…._

The toe of her shoe caught in the textured ground, sending her stumbling down, tripping just beyond the white-marked, meter dash line. Her jaw clenched as her knees skidded across the red-tinted track.

 _Shit_.

She thought, vaguely registering the pain in her legs. Her eyes remained clamped shut, anticipating the jaws of the creature to descend upon her. Suddenly, a familiar voice shocked her out of her reverie.

"Not _bad_ , Fido, but not good enough!"

Her eyes snapped open just in time to see a metallic orb roll across the track towards the beast. It froze mid-stride, teeth still bared in a menacing freeze-frame. It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on a movie.

Maggie blinked, her brows furrowing tightly together as the Doctor materialized a few feet beside her.

“Doctor….?” She muttered, pushing herself up to her knees.

"Oh, yes, Maggie!" he rushed over to her side, as if suddenly realizing she still knelt on the ground, "Are you hurt?" he asked, offering her a hand.

She offered a humorless chuckle as she looked down at her bleeding knees.

"A little scraped up, but it could be much worse, but certainly not dead!” she laughed, taking his offered hand.

“Nothing a Band-Aid can't fix," she tilted her head up at him with a small smile, but it quickly faded. "How the _hell_ did you do that?”

He brushed a blade of grass off his tweed with a small smile.

“Simple perception filter.”

“And _that_?” she nodded to the giant wolf.

He stepped closer to the creature. Maggie trailed behind him. She cocked her head as peered from around his tall form, making sure that she wouldn’t be the first in line if it suddenly decided to be animate once more…

"What did you do to it?"

"I temporarily froze it in time, like a time capsule," he said folding his arms. "Just think about it like a mix of a normal storage container, and a very small and weak time lock.”

Her brows rose as she met his eyes.

 “I invented it _myself_ ," he added smugly.

 "Well……I initially wanted to create a way to keep my favorite intergalactic apple pie from ever going bad…….but I suppose this is as good of a use as any!”

"Fantastic…" Maggie she said quietly in disbelief, taking a wary step closer, "So what now?"

"We take it to the TARDIS!"

"Wait….. _what_?"


	6. Chapter 6

Maggie wasn't sure what the Doctor had entirely meant when he said that they were going to bring the wolf-creature back to the TARDIS. Yet, it seemed that he meant _literally_ picking up the wolf and moving it.

_This is mental. I'm moving a wolf…..a frozen wolf….a frozen, likely alien wolf._

"Are you sure it won't…..I don't know…..come to _life_ again while we're moving it?" She asked apprehensively. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, of course not!" he said, adjusting his grasp on the creature's legs. It was much lighter than Maggie had expected, but the Doctor said that was a mere side-effect of the orb. She couldn't help but fleetingly compare it to carrying a giant taxidermy animal.

_Nope, that just made it weirder._

She thought, pulling a face and the thought made her shiver.

"What do you think it actually is? It's not exactly a wolf, but it doesn't look like an alien."

" _I_ don't _exactly_ look like an alien either."

" _Touché_. So, possibly alien, maybe an experiment gone _horribly_ wrong?" she said, her voice dropping sarcastically. The Doctor chuckled under his breath before his eyes dropped down to the creature's neck.

"Perhaps _both_ …Hold on…It has _tags_."

"Doctor—"

The pair froze at the particularly loud crack of a branch. The Doctor's eyes snapped to hers as they slowly lowered the frozen creature back to the ground. She watched, as he brought a finger to his lips.

He stepped away, moving cautiously towards the bush. Suddenly, he lunged forward and reached between the branches. As he yanked back, and unfamiliar yelp of surprise filled the air, and a lanky young man stumbled out of the bushes. The Doctor released the man's arm as he landed on the ground with a soft _thud_. The man's glasses tumbled to the ground, and a floppy mop of brown hair fell into his face.

 _"Claus?"_ Maggie said incredulously, tilting her head and folding her arms across her chest. The Doctor's brows furrowed as he pulled him off the ground. Claus climbed to his feet, his eyes widening as his eyes flickered between the two.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Maggie sputtered, stepping forward and pushing him back. Claus gaped at her in surprise for a moment before words came stuttering out.

"I'm _sorry_ , I-I just thought….I just figured that you two were on to something. I wanted to see what you two were on to!" Claus said apologetically as he picked up his fallen glasses, "I won't tell anyone whatever the hell you're doing, whatever that may be," he trailed off, his eyes flickering between Maggie and the Doctor as he stood back to his full height.

"Then just _ask_ next time….don't hide in the bushes like a creep…. _yeesh_ …..way to give us a heart attack," Maggie said, rubbing the sides of her arms.

"Easy there! That's alright," the Doctor said, raising his eyebrows and glancing at Maggie, "We just wanted to know why you were here."

"Well, I'm here to find out why _you're_ here."

"I've been asking myself the same question…" Maggie muttered.

"And what the hell is that _thing_?" Claus leaned forward and squinted at the beast before looking back up at the Doctor.

" _Well,_ you see, _that_ is exactly what we're trying to figure out," the Doctor said, pushing back the sides of his jacket and putting his hands on his hips, "Well, the finding out what that creature is, not the why we are here part, obviously," he added with a goofy grin, before squinting his eyes, "Actually, now that I think about it, I'm trying to figure out why I'm here too…" he trailed off. Claus quirked an eyebrow and shot a look at Maggie. Maggie shrugged, her lips pressing into a flat line.

"You…don't know how you got here?" Claus asked warily, "Are you…..on something?"

"No, I'm just not really from this planet," the Doctor remarked obliviously.

"Oh god, you _are_ on something…"

"No, he's an alien," Maggie interjected dryly, earning another look from Claus.

"Are you….alright? This guy doesn't seem very stable, maybe you should come back with me…"

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, _great idea_ , I'll just leave with the guy hiding in the bushes…." She picked up her side of the frozen wolf-creature, and the Doctor picked up his side, and they began to move. Claus blinked in disbelief, trailing behind the duo.

"Where are you going with that?" Claus asked.

"Well, _obviously_ , we're taking it back to our spaceship. Come on, Claus, pay attention," Maggie retorted. The Doctor chuckled silently.

Claus sighed with a light chuckle, "Well in _that_ case, I'll just follow you to make sure you get safely back to your _spaceship_."

"Oh, you are really too kind, but there's no need for that," The Doctor insisted.

"Believe me, I'd much rather write an article about a couple of people who think they have a spaceship, than one about a strung out couple with a taxidermy wolf….thing, hit by a car because they weren't thinking straight…"

"Ah, a real knight in shining armor…" Maggie quipped, but silently was curious how Claus would feel about the entire situation. A part of her still was drawn to him, a lingering bit of the crush she had on him years ago, she supposed.

The three made their way to where the TARDIS had been parked.

When the blue box came into sight, the Doctor practically skipped ahead, nearly making Maggie drop the frozen creature. He nodded to the ground and they carefully lowered it back to the ground.

The Doctor's hand rested on the door of the TARDIS and he glanced back at Claus. Claus stood back with his arms folded, his glasses perched high on his nose, and his hair flopping messily to the side.

"Well…..that's a nice box you have there. Is that your spaceship then?" he scoffed.

The Doctor smiled as he ran his hand lightly down the blue painted wood of the door, "Oh, _believe_ me, she is _very_ nice," he said simply before pushing in the door.

Claus shook his head, removing his glasses to clean a smudge off with his shirt. Maggie and the Doctor stepped inside with the wolf.

Claus's eyes were still cast downward as he stepped into the orangey glow of the TARDIS interior. He looked up and his glasses tumbled to the floor with a _clack_!

He didn't move to pick them up as he gaped with wide eyes at the TARDIS interior. His mouth hung ajar, seemingly out of words. He turned on his heel and walked outside, looking back at the small exterior.

The Doctor's eyes danced with amusement, and Maggie chewed at her lip to bite back a laugh. Claus reappeared in the doorway.

"You….you're joking."

Maggie smiled, crossing her arms across her chest.

"'fraid not."

"This is….. _impossible!_ "

"Highly improbable—yes!...but not _quite_ impossible," the Doctor said with a wide grin.

"So that means…." He trailed off, looking at the Doctor.

"Yes, go on…" the Doctor nodded, folding his arms with a small smile.

"You really _are_ an alien…" Claus looked at him in amazement. Then he pointed to the wolf, "And _that_ …"

"—Is your _Big Bad Wolf_ from those fairytale crimes you told us about," the Doctor continued.

Claus slowly stepped back into the TARDIS, his eyes wide and owl-like without his glasses. Maggie reached down and picked the glasses up. She lightly dusted them off before extending them out to Claus. He raised his eyebrow and warily took them, their hands brushing. Maggie smiled, and Claus hesitantly returned the smile.

"Thanks…" he muttered. Maggie's eyes drifted towards the floor.

" _So_ ….what's the plan, Doc?" Maggie said, walking over towards _Wolfie_ , as she deemed it silently.

"Well!" the Doctor spun around, clapping his hands together. He shuffled up next to Maggie, leaning in to examine Wolfie more closely, "Hmm…" he brought up his hand and touched the small silver tag on the creature's neck. He flicked his hand, producing his sonic screwdriver and scanned the tag.

"Interesting….." He murmured.

"What is it?" Maggie inquired.

"Take a look there, on the tag…careful not to lean too close though, I picked up high levels of Gamma radiation on the metal…."

Maggie tilted her head to give the tag a closer look.

"In fact…..I should be able to scan the area for a match for the energy emitted from the metal," the Doctor added, stumbling over a step and pulling down a screen. His hands danced across several buttons, and a loud pop came from the monitor. "Aha!" the Doctor exclaimed, a wide grin flitting across his lips, "And we have a match!" he said. Without warning, with a sheet of paper in his hand, he ran out the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Maggie shouted after him, her brows furrowing tightly together.

"To the source, of course!" he said, reappearing at the doorway. He looked at Claus, "You wouldn't happen to have a car we could use, would you?"

Claus glanced to Maggie and back to him nodded hesitantly.

"Yes…"

"Good! Now, let's hurry before some other creature is set on the loose."

"But, wait! What do we do with this one?" Maggie asked, reaching out and lightly touching its side.

"Oh, we'll send 'em back through that rift when we're done," the Doctor waved his arm in dismissal, "And careful! If you touch him too much it will break the lock!" he added and ushered Claus out of the TARDIS.

…..

….

…

They crammed into Claus's bright red Volkswagen and took a drive full of sharp turns and poorly given directions. Maggie tried to hide her anxiety, but her body remained tense as she held a firm grip on the leather seats.

"Oh, wait, no, we're supposed to turn now!" the Doctor said. Maggie gritted her teeth as Claus made a sharp turn. Luckily with such a small car, quick turns were not a primary issue.

"Well Claus, I never really pinned you to be a Bug person," Maggie said smiling nervously as she looked at him in the reflection from the back seat. Claus gave a light shrug.

"It was in the family…."

Maggie mouthed a small "oh," and glanced to the Doctor as he threw his hands up and pointed to a clearing to their left.

"There! The readings say it's this way!"

Claus slowed to a stop. The Doctor leapt out of the passenger seat and ran into the clearing and around a bend of trees.

"Doctor, _slow down_!" Maggie shouted to him, quickly unbuckling herself from the car, "Come on, Claus…let's make sure he doesn't get lost."

"Like we're not already lost," Claus said quietly, glancing around at the dark, winding, forest road they had come from. Maggie grabbed his hand and pulled him along, chasing after the Doctor.

They rounded the bend and skidded to a stop, Claus almost toppling over Maggie.

"Sorry…." He muttered before looking up at the Doctor, who briefly looked back at them, raising a finger to his lips.

Maggie walked next to the Doctor and looked at the decrepit building before them.

"It's….an abandoned barn? Well, at least there are no shortages of those around here…." she whispered.

"This is where I tracked the source. Stay close, and follow my lead," the Doctor said, looking to Maggie, then to Claus as he nodded ahead. Claus's eyes widened and they darted around the clearing. Maggie gave him a reassuring touch on the arm.

"It'll be fine."

_Probably._

The Doctor quietly approached the waterlogged wooden doors of the barn. Remnants of chipped paint lined the crooked siding. It looked as if it could topple over at the slightest touch. The Doctor pulled at the rotted wood door with a grunt. He peered into the darkness of the barn, warily stepping through the threshold. Maggie drifted behind him, with Claus beside her. The Doctor flicked out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the air.

"I'm picking up an electrical source in here…" the Doctor furrowed his brow with curiosity. He held up his screwdriver and soniced the air. Lights flickered to life.

The inside of the bard appeared to be more of a fine-looking shed, while the outside remained a decrepit mess. The walls were lined with some sort of makeshift-technology and what appeared to be some sort of home-made scanners.

"Well, we certainly have a perception filter here," the Doctor said walking toward a long row of boxes covered with a dirty cloth. The Doctor yanked down the cloth and let out a low whistle. Maggie leaned in to get a closer look, but gasped when she saw what it was. Claus stepped further back into the darker side of the barn. They were cages with what looked like strange animal-like creatures. They must have been animals, but none of the sort she had seen before.

"Are those….aliens or something?" she asked meekly, looking to the Doctor. The Doctor chewed at his lip and crouched down closer to the cages.

"It would seem so….however I believe someone has been conducting some sort of experiments on them because they resemble some species I've seen…but with slight _alterations_."

The Doctor trailed a finger down a side of one of the rusted cages, "What has someone done to you…..poor thing." The Doctor muttered. Despite the rusted cages, the door was bolted down with a more technologically advanced code lock. The Doctor stood back up and turned around and stepped back in front of Claus and Maggie.

"But…why would anyone experiment on them? It would appear that they must have come through the time rift, so perhaps we should try setting one free," the Doctor spun back around and began to saunter back toward the cages, but he froze mid-stride, arm extended. "Eh…." The Doctor's eyes trailed down to the floor. A dark shadow was at his feet….but judging by the light positioning the shadow should have been on the other side…

"Doctor…..what's wrong?" Maggie asked, her voice trailing off as her eyes drifted to where he was looking.

_I know that voice….that's his, something is about to go terribly wrong voice._

She thought, her stomach churning. There was a shadow extending from the barn's shadows to the Doctor's feet. She bit her lip. The Doctor looked up, his eyes hooding grimly.

"Claus…?"

Claus chuckled from a few feet behind them.

"I have to say….I really am sorry about this…but I can't let you ruin my story. You just can't." Claus lulled, stepping out of the shadows. As he grinned, Maggie noticed his eyes were no longer a minty-green, but jet black. "You really can't."


	7. Chapter 7

“ _Claus…”_ the Doctor began carefully, his body still frozen mid-stride. He saw the evident shift in Claus's demeanor and the shadows at his feet. His eyes widened as realization dawned upon him.

"No….. _no_ ….you know that this can only end badly…." the Doctor said slowly shaking his head, "You don't know what you're dealing with," he warned in a low voice.

Maggie tilted her head, glancing between Claus and the Doctor. There was something dark about the Doctor's tone that made Maggie freeze.

Claus scoffed.

"You have no clue what you're talking about."

"Yes….yes I do," the Doctor glowered, "More than you can possibly know…."

Maggie stepped forward. The Doctor shot her a halting glance and she paused.

"Is it….the Vashta Nerada?" she asked quietly, her eyes lingering on the shadow connecting the Doctor and Claus.

The Doctor shook his head. "Good guess, but no," his eyes remained locked on Claus as he continued. " It's a race known as the _Varjo Kilpi_ , or _shadow shields_. They look much like the Vashta Nerada, but the effects they have are completely different. Although, the two are distant relatives," he explained.

Maggie nodded silently, and watched as Claus slowly stepped towards the Doctor.

"They're _parasites_ ," the Doctor spat, his eyes narrowed, "Their power will eat you alive."

"Oh, _Doctor_. I wouldn't suggest worrying about me if I were you…..in fact, I've never felt better," Claus gestured widely.

The Doctor shook his head.

"They offer power to their hosts, but that power corrupts them until there's nothing left of their original selves, and then they feed off of their hosts life source," his eyes clenched shut for a moment.

"Claus, that power will kill you."

"So what if it does. Why does it matter to you?"

"It matters because human and alien lives could be at stake, including yours."

"I never intended to hurt anyone. I just needed a story."

"But you still did, didn't you? What about that woman who was attacked by your creature?" the Doctor said, agitation creeping into his voice.

Claus grew silent, and he shook his head.

"How did you do it? How did you control the creatures? Might as well go ahead and tell me, since I doubt that Varjo Kilpi of yours will let us out alive," the Doctor said.

Claus smiled silently, creeping closer to where Maggie stood. She eyed him warily, but his eyes were still focused on the Doctor.

"It was all a matter of triggers. Some of the creatures coming through the portal had sensitivity to triggers like colors, in the case of our little wolf friend, or sounds. After that it was simple. _Easy peasey_."

"I see…well you are rather wasted as a reporter," the Doctor said, Claus's smirk broadening for just a moment.

"Why fairy-tales?" Maggie asked, breaking her silence. Claus's gaze shifted from the Doctor to her.

He stepped in front of her, his figure looming with an air of confidence he had not possessed prior.

 "More poetic," he shrugged with a grin seemingly plastered onto his face. Maggie did not move, but straightened her back and met his gaze in what seemed like an unspoken challenge.

"Or just more psychotic," she remarked dryly. His grin only faltered slightly. She refused to flinch as he extended his hand and brushed a piece of hair out of her face.

"Oh, Maggie…." Claus chuckled, "cheeky, as always."

"And you're a dick, as always."

"Oh, well we both know that's not what you used to think," Claus grinned, his eyes glinting dangerously behind his glasses. He used to be many things, but dangerous was never one of them. Maggie's cheeks flushed a little, but she tried to maintain a poker face. Maggie had once felt something for Claus, but it was never anything real. It was a mere high school crush, the classic freshman infatuated with a senior. Perhaps her past crush was not as subtle as she was led to believe.

"Times change," she said. Her glaring gaze met his in a stalemate. The heavy silence lingered for a moment before he broke the contact.

"Leave," he said unexpectedly. Maggie blinked a few times in surprise, shifting on her feet.

"Sorry, what?" she asked.

"This has nothing to do with you. Just let the grown-ups deal with this little mess, huh?" Claus said with an edge of condescension.

Maggie opened her mouth to speak, an red-hot urge to retort angrily rising within her, but she paused and unclenched her fists.

 And there it was…..an idea. The tension left her body as the Doctor spoke up.

"Go. Do as he says, Maggie. _Run_!" the Doctor said.

"Okay, I get it, this isn’t my fight…." she said, turning on her heel, but not before she caught a glimpse of the bemused expression on the Doctor's face.

_I bet the others didn't do that, now did they?_

She shot a look towards Claus and fought the smirk threatening to pull at the corners of her lips. Her fragile mask of indifference reemerged as she spun back around and faced the Doctor and Claus.

"Oh, but one more thing, how am I supposed to get back?" she inquired. Claus furrowed his brow and hesitantly reached into his pocket, pulling out the keys to the car.

"Not a word to anyone about this," he said with a wink as he tossed the keys through the air to her. She nodded and smiled as she caught them and apprehension slowly filled her chest as she realized the full graveness of the situation. She released a shaky breath as she turned and walked. Her heart pounded in her ears as she yanked open the door to Claus's car. Her mind raced.

_Where do I go?_

_I only have one shot at this._

She just drove.

…………….

…….

……

…..

.

The Doctor's eyes followed Maggie's figure as she left. A companion who actually did as they were told…..that was new.

_Clever girl._

"Well then, what now?" the Doctor inquired, the nerves in his arms slowly coming back to life. He flexed his hands and watched as the shadow at his feet slowly recede into Claus's shadow. "Are you going to kill me?" the Doctor smiled, his hands latched behind his back as he paced the barn.

Claus remained silent. The Doctor continued.

"Why let her go?"

"Oh, well, you know, little Mags had a bit of a crush on me back in the day. I just didn't want her to be hurt. Who knows, maybe I'll even ask her out when I'm finished here," Claus said.

"Oh, but that's not true. Just then, that was Claus who she was speaking to, but right now I'm talking to you. And _you_ know who you are," the Doctor said, stopping his pacing.

Claus was silent, his face completely stoic. A light flickered and his eyes, which usually were a mint green shifted to black.

"It's funny, you know. Of all the hosts you could have chosen, you chose quite a weak one."

"Are you implying that you would be a better one, _Time Lord_?"

The Doctor's eyes swept Claus, or at least the shadow of what once was Claus. He was human, and not just that, but a weak one. His mind and body could only take so much more altering before there would be no vessel left for the real Claus to come back to. He would have to handle this very carefully. A Time Lord's body could handle much more than a human's body, and the he may be able to buy time if he could convince the Varjo Kilpi out of Claus.

The Doctor raised his brows, "Quite possibly, yes. So what do you say then?"

The Varjo Kilpi grew silent. His lips quirked into a smirk and a soft chuckle resonated from his chest and gradually grew into dark laughter.

The Doctor frowned, his jaw clenched.

Well, it was worth a try.

"Oh, if you only knew," the fake Claus said through his laughter, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

"If I only knew what?" the Doctor asked, his brows furrowed together. Claus shook his head slowly.

"The time rift, you don't know what caused it."

"And you do? I'm almost positive that it wasn't me this time!" the Doctor shouted, waving his long limbs.

"If I told you, what where would the fun be in that?" Claus smiled, his hand sliding into his pocket, pulling out a small device and flicking it open.

_Vvrrrrrrrooooooooppppp_

The Doctor's head shot around and watched with wide eyes as white streams of light bolted through the room and what looked like a vortex emerged.

The Doctor saw movement in the corner of his eye, but by the time he looked he was already pinned to the ground by Claus.

 _Ouch_ …

The Doctor groaned inwardly. The Varjo Kilpi must have enhanced Claus's physical strength as well.

His legs kicked up, attempting to throw Claus off of him. The Doctor rolled to the side just fast enough to dodge a blow to his head. His arms shot up and shoved Claus with surprising strength for his thin frame. The Doctor stood stumbled back, attempting to regain his balance before Claus struck again.

As he frantically patted his pockets down, looking for his sonic screwdriver, a gleam of green caught his eye. He looked up and saw that his sonic had been flung across the room. The Doctor briefly met Claus’s gaze, and they both paused before the Doctor leapt towards his screwdriver. Claus grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and threw him towards the vortex.

The Doctor latched onto Claus's arms and both of them froze. The lights cut off.

 _Splash_!

The Doctor tensed, feeling flecks of something wet hitting his face. He felt something thick and sticky trailing densely down Claus's forearms, coating the Doctor's palms with…. _something_. Something red. He released his hold and stepped back.

The lights flickered back on. The Doctor tasted the red substance on his palm.

 _Paint_.

There was a growl.

Slowly, a grin flitted across the Doctor's features and he turned to face the newcomer .

"Well….hello _stranger_."


	8. Chapter 8

_A few moments earlier....._

 

“Okay....okay,” Maggie breathed, keeping her eyes trained on the road.

She couldn’t actually believe she was doing this. In fact, she found it difficult to believe that Claus had actually let her drive his car. She shook her head.

  The Varjo Kilpi or whatever must be messing with his head...for all she knew that judgement call could have been the real Claus trying to break through.

  The car rolled to a stop. She unclipped her seatbelt and leapt out, breaking into a run towards the TARDIS. She barely slid into a stop, jiggling the door handle. With a final shove, and to her relieve, it opened.        

Her hand buried itself into her hair as she looked around.

“Okay..... _okay…._ now what the hell do I do...?” she trailed off, her eyes resting on the frozen figure of _Wolfie_.

Slowly, she stepped towards the creature, still frozen mid-snarl. She stopped less than a foot from it, gingerly tracing a finger across a tuft of fur.

  _“I temporarily froze it in time, like a time capsule.”_

Maggie replayed the Doctor’s words in her head a few times as she slowly pet the wolf.

 _If it’s a time lock then......maybe it could be broken._      

 She pulled her hand back as she noticed something that resembled a combination of fine netting and a jell-like substance. It was unnoticeable, until touched. Maybe....  

     She extended her arm back to the fur and carefully balled her hand into a fist, pulling back ever so slightly. The film seemed to stretch. She pulled back a little harder and the quiet of the TARDIS was shattered with a loud _pop!_        

She stumbled backward, still grasping the film-like substance.  She gasped as a low growl emitted from Wolfie.     

  Its ears twitched, and it turned its head towards Maggie.

  _Shit_.     

 Maggie held her breath, not daring to move an inch as it slowly stepped towards her.

                The creature stopped and lowered its head. Maggie shut her eyes as she felt hot breath on her face.

 _Well....this is it._      

 She clenched her eyes shut and braced for the worst. Something wet nudged against her forehead and her eyes sprung open. Wolfie’s snout hovered over her head, his nose nudging her now on the shoulder.      

 Maggie brows drew together as she blinked in surprise. After a moment, she warily reached her hand out and pet its head. She suddenly recalled Claus’s words.

_“It was all a matter of triggers. Some of the creatures coming through the portal had sensitivity to triggers like colors, in the case of our little wolf friend.”_

“ _Ohhh_.....I see! You’re friendly without those triggers aren’t you?” she muttered, a smile creeping across her face as she climbed back to her feet. Wolfie’s eyes remained locked on her with an unusual intensity.

   “Can you...can you understand me?” she asked, looking into the seemingly intelligent eyes of Wolfie.       

Wolfie gave a slight whimper, and nodded its head.      

“Would you mind giving me a hand with something? No pun intended,” Maggie remarked slyly. Wolfie’s ears perked and he quirked his head.

“Then I’ll take that as a yes….”

……….

…….

………………..

                When she arrived the Doctor seemed to be in a bit of a sticky situation…..as per usual, she supposed.

“ _Well, hello, stranger,”_ he chimed.

 “What’s up, Doc?” Maggie said with a wry smile, leaning against the doorframe, holding the empty paint can Wolfie stalked slowly towards the paint-slicked Claus.   

   “No...” Claus muttered, looking down at the paint dripping down his form. He raised his eyes to Wolfie, and the floorboards creaked as he warily stepped back.       

 Another sharp tearing sound ripped through the air, all three looked to the rift.      

 “It’s getting out of control!” the Doctor shouted as the rift grew wider and brighter.        

“What is that?” Maggie yelled over the noise of the rift.        

“The time rift that brought me here!” the Doctor replied, turning back to Claus.

                “No!” Claus roared suddenly, sounding seemingly inhuman. A large dark smoke-like wisp of emerged from his mouth. The black of his eyes faded to his original minty green.

”No...”  Claus muttered, falling to his knees. He looked around, wide-eyed, “It’s gone.”

       Maggie furrowed her brow, “Wait....what do you mean?” she said looking back at the Doctor. The vortex seemed to increase in ferocity, winds sucking miscellaneous objects into its gaping mouth.       

“Maggie, watch out!” Claus yelled. Maggie spun around and stumbled backwards with a yelp as Wolfie swatted a massive paw at her. It bared its teeth and Maggie caught a glimpse at its eyes, which resembled two black pits, much like Claus’s had.       

 “It’s in him! The Varjo Kilpi’s in the wolf!” Maggie yelled to the Doctor as she slowly stepped away without turning her back to the creature.  The winds grew stronger and sucked contents of the barn into the vortex.  Maggie nearly slid back from the force of the winds.       

“Grab a hold of something sturdy!” the Doctor replied.      

 “But the—“       

 “—just _do it_!” the Doctor cut her off, and looked at Claus. “Claus, you too, hold on!”       

Claus didn’t move, he just stood silently staring at the giant wolf.       

“No.”     

  “Sorry, _what_?” the Doctor asked incredulously. He took a firm hold of a metal beam, reaching a hand to Claus, while warily watching the possessed wolf creep nearer.

                  “I caused this mess....” Claus trailed off. The wind was dangerously powerful now. Maggie clung desperately to a column and watched.       

 “Claus...” she said, but her voice was drowned out by the vortex.       

“No!” Claus shouted lunging at the wolf creature and yanking it off balance. It bared its teeth, scraping Claus with its claws. That one push was all it needed with the violent winds thrashing the pair towards the vortex. They went flying.

The creature lost its grip on Claus and vanished into the vortex. Claus managed to latch on to a piece of wooden board and he hung with one arm, the other hanging limply and blood-stained by his side.     

  All the loose contents of the barn, large equipment and all soared through the rift.        

“Claus!” the Doctor shouted, reaching out for him. Claus raised his head and met the Doctor’s eyes. He shook his head sadly.      

 “I’m _so_ sorry.....all I wanted was a good story,” he said, his grip loosening.

                 “No!” the Doctor shouted, his extended arm stretching to its limits. Maggie held on to the beam and shouted to Claus, but the wind was too loud.       

He let go.      

 The Doctor lunged for him, but the rift closed. The Doctor landed on the ground with a thud. An uneasy silence descended upon them.  Maggie slowly unclenched her grip on the column, her muscles tense and ears ringing. She rose to her feet and walked to where the Doctor sat.

She plopped down beside him. The Doctor sat back on his knees, drinking in Maggie’s baffled expression.

“So........ _wow_.”      

 “Yeah, I know,” the Doctor said with a small sad smile.       

Maggie looked to where the rift had been.       

“He never meant to do that….”       

“I know,” the Doctor nodded.       

“Do you think he’ll make it out alive?” she asked with a pang of regret.

“Who knows, it could have sent him anywhere,” the Doctor said, climbing to his feet and dusting off his tweed jacket.      

 “So that’s that then? No more Varjo Kilpi, experiments, or weird fairytale creatures?”

The Doctor smiled, extending her a hand and she moved to her feet.     

  “Ah, well, not in _this_ town anyway,” The Doctor smiled, nodding his head towards Claus’s car. Looking at it she felt another sharp sting of regret. They drove off.

…………………………….

………………….

….

..

  The orange glow of the TARDIS gave a surrealistic distortion to the skyline. A smile stretched easily across Maggie’s face.  

“Oi, close the door, it’s cold out there!” The Doctor shouted from the upper level railing. Maggie looked over to him over her shoulder as she pulled the door shut.

The Doctor leapt down the stairs and gestured her over. She raised a brow and stepped closer.  

 “So.....well, it was amazing meeting you…..and _thanks_ for everything,” Maggie smiled, a hint of sadness seeping into her voice. She extended her hand.       

He looked down and stared at her extended hand and made no move to take it. He met her eyes. Maggie’s hand slowly dropped back to her side as she stared at him in confusion.

                 “About that.....” the Doctor trailed off, before glancing around. “I was wondering, _well_ , I’ve been traveling alone for a while and—“      

 “Are you asking me to come with you?” Maggie interjected. A smile involuntarily tugged at her lips.       

“Well, yes, I am,” he said with a shy smile.      

 “Hold on, finish what you were saying,” she said.      

 “Sorry, what?”       

“ _Ask me,”_ Maggie beamed, nudging him excitedly.       

The Doctor stared at her in confusion for a moment before it registered. His eyes lit up in realization.      

“ _Maggie Dalton_. All of _time_ and _space_ , anything that ever happened or ever _will_ …..every star, every planet, would you like to come see it with me?”       

“Yes!” she nearly squealed, half-toppling him over with a hug. “You have no idea.”      

 The Doctor regained his balance and looked down at her, returning her hug. He smiled and whispered,

      “Geronimo.”

**Well, here it is, my first Maggie and the Doctor story, but certainly not my last! I really needed to give this one a facelift before moving foreward, so now I’m much happier with it than before. So, whether this is your first time reading it, or here from its first publication, I hope you enjoyed! Reviews would be lovely, and thanks for reading!**

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I hope you enjoy it! Comments or suggestions would be great! :)


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